


When Will My Life Begin

by Reyn



Series: Disney Zutara series [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Disney Fusion, Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 10:38:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16931715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyn/pseuds/Reyn
Summary: Tangled fusion: Katara reveals her abilities to Zuko amidst their near-death experience.





	When Will My Life Begin

The roar of the water and cracking rocks behind them was easily the most frightening sound Katara had ever heard in her life as she struggled to keep up with Blue Spirit, who had her hand in a death grip as they ran for the small mining entrance in the side of the cliff. There was a shadow looming over them and she didn’t dare turn around, urging her feet faster and faster still, shooting into the mine entrance, only to run smack into solid rock not even ten feet in.

Completely winded, they both turned as the entrance was sealed over by the boulders the broken dam had knocked loose. For a moment, Katara allowed relief to wash over her, believing they were safe from both the tsunami-like wave and all the enemies Blue Spirit seemed to have out there. 

But that relief was quickly washed away by the feel of cold water lapping at her feet, seeping in from gaps around the blocked entrance at an alarming rate.

“Climb!” Blue Sprit ordered, wasting no time in shoving her almost bodily up the wall, leaving her to blindly find purchase amongst the jutting rocks.

Instead of following, Blue Spirit dove back down, feeling along the lower walls for just where the rest of the tunnel went.

Katara tried to watch him in the darkness for a moment before climbing higher, hands trying to find a loose rock, an opening that would lead out, _something_. Instead, all she met was more rock and soon, ceiling.

“It’s no use,” Blue Spirit gasped, coming back up for air. “It’s too dark for me to see anything!”

Even as his words sunk in, Katara continued to push weakly at the ceiling. Noticing the move, Blue Spirit looked up and unsheathed one of his swords. After a couple of increasingly desperate swipes at the surface, he gave up.

“This is all my fault,” Katara lamented as he slumped next to her. “Mother Hama was right. I never should have left.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “And now we’re trapped here and she’ll never even find my body. I’m sorry, Blue Spirit.”

After a short moment of silence, Blue Spirit spoke. “…Zuko.”

Katara looked up. “What?”

“My name. It’s actually Zuko.” In the blackness, Katara could barely make out the movement of his hand reaching up to finally _finally_  remove the mask. “If this is really the end, it makes sense that at least someone knows my secret.”

“Zuko…” Katara repeated with a smile. “It’s a nice name.”

Zuko snorted. “Thanks.”

With the water now up to her collarbone, Katara figured she might as well share her secret, too. “I can make my hands glow when I submerge them in water.”

“You–what??”

Even in the darkness, she could tell the look she was being subjected to was far from acceptance. But that hardly mattered as she realized the impact of her secret.

“I can make my hands glow when I submerge them in water! Zuko!! I can make my hands glow!!”

Calling up on her ability, Katara took one last breath and dove into the water, allowing her hands to lead the way. With the bright blue light, they were able to find the blocked tunnel entrance with ease and pull away enough of the rocks to squeeze through and follow the flow of the river out.

* * *

Katara had never been so glad to see the sunlight in her life as she and Zuko broke through the surface of the water to find themselves in a river back in the forest. Coughing and sputtering, they heaved themselves onto the nearest bank, where they remained for a moment to catch their breath.

“Her hands glow,” Zuko muttered.

“We made it!”

“Her hands just…lit up. Like lanterns.”

“We’re alive!”

“Who’s hands even _do_  that?”

“Zuko, we – what’s wrong with your hand?”

“You mean besides the fact that it isn’t _glowing_?” Zuko snapped, staring up at the sky with his arm cradled to his chest. With a sigh, he turned his head towards her. “It was smashed when we were moving the rocks to get out.”

At Katara’s stunned look, his golden eyes narrowed.

“It’s fine. I’ll happily take a broken hand over death any day.”

Guilt seeped through Katara. If it weren’t for her, Zuko probably could have avoided the fight, the almost-drowning, _and_  the broken bones. Figuring it was high time she paid him back for all the hardship, she decided to truly take the chance and trust him.

“Zuko…when I put my hands in water, they don’t just glow.”

“What?” Zuko asked flatly.

“They also…” Katara drew in a steeling breath. “…heal.”

“What?” This time the question was asked with disbelief.

“Here.” She sat up and reached towards the river, calling some of its water out to wrap around her hand. She cast Zuko a nervous glance to see his eyes were wide and his jaw was left hanging. 

“Please don’t freak out or panic,” she pleaded before reaching forward to gently take his injured appendage.

Zuko seemed to be in a state of shock, torn between looking at her or her watery hand in absolute horror. As she touched his injury, the water lit up and its healing properties went to work, mending his bones back to the way they once were.

When done, Katara leaned back and gently dropped the water back into the river before nervously placing her hands in her lap.

Mouth still open, Zuko examined his hand, turning it this way and that and wiggling his fingers. When all seemed fine, his terrified gaze went back to Katara.

“Please don’t panic,” she begged.

“Panic? You don’t want me to – you floated water out of the – it glows – you just mended my bones with glow water! Why can’t I panic?!” Zuko demanded, shooting to his feet to pace. 

When Katara meekly looked down at her lap, Zuko let out a growl and forced himself to calm down.

“No wonder you were so convinced I was there to kidnap you. You have magic abilities!” Zuko ran his fingers through his hair. “You do realize that now more than ever my escorting you to the Aurora Borealis Festival looks like a definite kidnapping, right?”

“Sorry,” Katara apologized, still frowning at her knees.

“But I guess that means we’ll just have to work harder at blending in better to keep you safe and get you back home before your mother returns.”

Startled, Katara looked up to see Zuko offering his hand to help her stand with a softness in his eyes the belayed the harshness of his tone.

With a grin, Katara allowed his fingers to wrap around hers. “Yeah…”

THE END


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